We chat with author Sarah Zachrich Jeng about When I’m Her, which is an electrifying thriller that follows a young woman gets everything she’s ever wanted—and everything she doesn’t—when she swaps bodies with her sworn enemy.
Hi, Sarah! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I grew up in Michigan but have lived over half my life in Florida, where my hobbies include watching my dogs chase lizards (they almost never catch them) and trying to stop book bans. I write what I call speculative suspense: character driven novels that have propulsive plots and some kind of futuristic tech or superhuman power as a catalyst.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Very early on! My author bio mentions the slightly Wednesday Addams-ish 35th birthday present I gave to my dad, but I’d been writing and drawing comic-panel stories since I could hold a pencil. (I still draw at about the same skill level.)
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: This is random, but when I was a kid we had a multi-book bound anthology of mostly European fairy tales, which included stories like The Rose and the Ring, Childe Rowland, and other deep cuts. I only remember a few of them but they definitely made an imprint.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Firestarter by Stephen King.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Annalee Newitz’ The Future of Another Timeline, which provides an all-too-realistic look at the society we get when women lack agency and bodily autonomy—and inspiration for taking those things back.
Your second novel, When I’m Her, is out March 26th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Freaky Friday with Tom Ripley.
What can readers expect?
Plenty of twists and turns in a story about friendship, revenge, and a grudging alliance against toxic males.
Where did the inspiration for When I’m Her come from?
The body swapping piece is just an extreme extension of the human desire to have what someone else has. I was also thinking about how women are so often set up to envy and be in competition with one another, even when they’re friends, and I wanted to both play into and subvert that.
During the writing process I thought a lot about friendships between women and the friendships that I have had. A lot of the time friends are similar to each other in their values, life stages, cultural touchstones, etc., which is why they become close to begin with. But occasionally you get these odd couples who have inequalities between them and/or the personalities are complete opposites. For obvious reasons these are the most interesting narratively. The relationship can easily become toxic if one person is using their social power in the wrong way, which happens between Mary and Elizabeth.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I had my main character in my head from the beginning. Mary is this disaffected, very isolated woman who desperately wants to connect with people but can’t stop getting in her own way. I embraced the challenge of making her compelling and even relatable, without making her likable. I also wanted to see what she would do once she actually got what she thought she wanted.
I also really enjoyed writing Elizabeth, because I’m a very straightforward person and it was interesting to try and get into the mindset of someone who’s always working an angle and who has learned through bitter experience that appearances are everything. I did research on the online influencer sphere, and that world is just wild to me. It’s so far outside of my experience and values it might as well be on another planet.
The male characters were interesting to create, if a little depressing since they’re kind of a panoply of toxic masculinity (most of them, anyway #nospoilers). And I had fun playing with the tropes of the various genres I’m working in, sometimes turning them on their heads.
What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned as a writer between your debut and your latest release?
The main thing I learned was that writing a book under contract is really hard! My process didn’t actually diverge that much from my first novel, but because I had people waiting I felt like I was taking way too long and being way too inefficient (why couldn’t I just have skipped those second and third drafts?). It took me until I’d come out the other side to really internalize that it takes however long it takes and you have to trust the process. It helps if, like me, you have a patient editor.
Craft-wise, I approached writing WHEN I’M HER as more of a thriller than my debut, the first couple drafts of which were fairly meandering and literary. So I learned a lot about concrete stakes, pacing, and structure, especially as regards a dual timeline novel.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on my next cross-genre novel, which includes elements of grounded fantasy, tech thriller, and second-chance romance.
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed, Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson, The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson, A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia – and so many more. There are always more amazing books than there is time to read them.
